Sunday, June 9, 2013

REI Garage Sale Assessment

I had never been to one of these storied sales, I happened to be off and in possession of a $100 gift card, so I brewed up some coffee and pointed the Cherokee towards Greenville.

Greenville is not a large or very busy store, so there wasn't a huge amount of stuff for this one. I had heard that these sales could get out of hand, so I felt some apprehension melt a little when an employee came around handing out little handbills with some rules of the trail.

I got there about 7am the morning of and there was around 70 people in front of me in line.
I had done some research and many suggested knowing what you want when you go in so you can look for that first. I wanted a bike trainer and some clip on aerobars. I don't know if there were any aerobars, but there was one trainer and it got snapped up pretty quickly.

Here's what I ended up with.

I got a Long Big Agnes Aircore pad whose advertised problem was "water stains on bottom, Holds Air!" Next I found a pair of really functional Prana pants. They're called the Stretch Zion Pant and had "stitching coming apart" on their tag. I was looking for that last little something to make the trip worthwhile. I was standing at a table sorting through a bunch of non-working electronics when someone sat down a little sack in front of me. I guess they didn't feel like waiting through the growing checkout line for this one little item. It was a Sea to Summit silk sleeping bag liner. The tag notes "seam popped around head."

So, if these prices are correct, the I saved $105.39 or 54% off. A good deal, to be sure, but not mind blowing. If I would bought some socks or shoes, the savings percentage would have been a great deal higher, but that's not why I was there. I hate wearing socks and I have plenty of shoes.

All in all I'm satisfied. The defects were well documented and were not things that would bother me in a product. Take, for instance, the pants with the stitching coming apart.These pants are really cool. They have a couple of vent holes in the crotch area, a built in belt that doesn't go all the way across the front, and, as you can see in the picture, buttons so you can secure the pants leg for your bike commute to work or whatever.

Or, the sleeping pad. I call it that because it sounds a lot better than the mattress with the stains on it. Ewww! The stains or near the bottom of the photo.

The popped seam towards the top of the bag. If this bothered me I could sew it up. It doesn't bother me. I am so hot-natured that I am always on the hunt for something super cool to sleep in. Bag liners do great for me instead of sleeping bags when it's warm out, but you still want to cover up.